nsci100 exam 1 practice quizzes

Question 1

Which of the following can be done WITHOUT the involvement of the cortex?
a. putting on a sweater
b. recognizing someone’s face
c. playing the piano
d. drinking a glass of water
e. release of hormones to prevent dehydration

Answer 1

release of hormones to prevent dehydration

Question 2

The dorsal roots of the spinal cord carry information related to
a. motivation
b. somatosensation
c. hearing
d. motor commands

Answer 2

somatosensation

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT true about CSF?
a. it helps to protect the brain by cushioning it
b. it normally has a specific chemical composition important for maintaining neuronal health
c. The same CSF continually recirculates, rather than any new CSF being produced
d. it can be found in chambers known as ventricles

Answer 3

The same CSF continually recirculates, rather than any new CSF being produced

Question 4

Which of the following is a correct match between cortical lobe & function?
a. frontal lobe and hearing
b. occipital lobe and motor control
c. frontal lobe and touch sensation
d. frontal lobe and motor control

Answer 4

frontal lobe and motor control

Question 5

the thalamus is part of the
a. diencephalon
b. brainstem
c. basal ganglia
d. spinal cord
e. telencephalon

Answer 5

diencephalon

Question 6

The cranial nerves are different from the spinal nerves in that
a. only cranial nerves have motor functions
b. only spinal nerves carry touch information
c. only the cranial nerves carry information for all five senses
d. only spinal nerves have motor functions

Answer 6

only the cranial nerves carry information for all five senses

Question 7

The best term to describe the part of the spinal cord that is closest to a person’s back is
a. rostral
b. dorsal
c. ventral
d. anterior

Answer 7

dorsal

Question 8

Activation of the sympathetic nervous system causes
a. muscles to contract
b. increased heart rate
c. constriction of the pupil
d. salivation

Answer 8

increased heart rate

Question 9

Which part of the brain is especially important for long-range planning, directing attention, and guiding decision making?
a. meninges
b. hypothalamus
c. prefrontal cortex
d. basal ganglia

Answer 9

prefrontal cortex

Question 10

Which of the following is true regarding myelin?
a. it increases the length of neurons
b. it is not found at the nodes of Ranvier
c. it is produced by microglia
d. it decreases the conduction velocity of neurons

Answer 10

it is not found at the nodes of ranvier

Question 11

The field of phrenology was correct about the fact that
a. a particular brain area always performs the same function in all individuals
b. different parts of the brain perform different functions
c. every part of the brain is similar to every other part in terms of function
d. an individual’s personality can be determined by feeling the “bumps” on their skull

Answer 11

different parts of the brain perform different functions

Question 12

Which of the following functions is performed by astrocytes?
a. regulating blood flow in the brain
b. increasing the velocity of action potentials
c. detecting bacterial infections in the brain
d. firing action potentials

Answer 12

regulating blood flow in the brain

Question 13

Which of the following is the most important for picking up an object?
a. parietal lobe of cortex
b. hypothalamus
c. medulla
d. pons

Answer 13

parietal lobe of cortex

Question 14

The general function of the hypothalamus is to
a. relay motor commands to the cortex
b. cause contractions in skeletal muscle
c. process visual information
d. maintain constant conditions inside the body

Answer 14

maintain constant conditions inside the body

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT part of the limbic system?
a. nucleus accumbens
b. amygdala
c. midbrain
d. hippocampus

Answer 15

midbrain

Question 16

Neurons transmit information based on
a. their rate of firing action potentials
b. their temperature
c. their diameter
d. the maximum size of the action potentials

Answer 16

their rate of firing action potentials

Question 17

Damage to the ventral root of the spinal cord in a person would cause them to have difficulty
a. feeling textures using the sense of touch
b. reading
c. moving their body
d. in a task of working memory

Answer 17

moving their body

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a real difference between ionotropic and metabotropic neurotransmitter receptors?
a. whether they are G-protein-coupled
b. how long it takes for them to exert an effect
c. whether they can bind acetylcholine
d. whether ions pass through the receptor protein itself

Answer 18

whether they can bind acetylcholine

Question 19

Which ion is essential for allowing vesicles at the axon terminal to fuse with the cell membrane and release neurotransmitter?
a. potassium
b. chloride
c. calcium
d. sodium

Answer 19

calcium

Question 20

The membrane potential of a particular location along an axon
a. changes over time
b. is always at zero
c. is always at -50 mV
d. is always at +50
e. is always at -70 mV

Answer 20

changes over time

Question 21

During an action potential, potassium ions leaving a neuron cause its membrane potential to
a. disappear
b. become more positive
c. increase
d. depolarize
e. repolarize

Answer 21

repolarize

Question 22

During an action potential, an individual potassium ion might
a. travel from the cell’s dendrites to its axon
b. move from the inside of the cell’s axon to the outside
c. change its charge from positive to negative
d. travel from one end of the axon to the other

Answer 22

move from the inside of the cell’s axon to the outside

Question 23

The use of G-proteins by a post-synaptic neurotransmitter receptor, relative to the use of an ionotropic receptor, has the advantage of
a. acting more quickly
b. having fewer steps involved
c. amplifying a small signal
d. opening potassium rather than sodium channels

Answer 23

amplifying a small signal

Question 24

Which of the following happens FIRST during an action potential?
a. sodium channels open
b. sodium enters the cell
c. the membrane potential at the start of the axon reaches threshold (-50 mV)
d. potassium leaves the cell
e. potassium channels open

Answer 24

the membrane potential at the start of the axon reaches threshold (-50 mV)

Question 25

We are able to distinguish weak versus strong stimuli based on a. the color of neurons b. the rate of firing of neurons c. the movement of special fluid inside of neurons d. the size of action potentials

Answer 25

the rate of firing of neurons

Question 26

Which neurotransmitter is especially important for movement, pleasure, and reward? a. serotonin b. norepinephrine c. dopamine d. curare

Answer 26

dopamine

Question 27

Syntaxin, SNAP-25, and synaptotagmin play import roles in a. neurotransmitter synthesis b. neurotransmitter reuptake c. fusion of neurotransmitter vesicles with the cell membrane d. degradation of neurotransmitter

Answer 27

fusion of neurotransmitter vesicles with the cell membrane

Question 28

Which of the following ions has a negative charge? a. sodium b. chloride c. calcium d. potassium

Answer 28

chloride

Question 29

During an action potential a. the axon remains at its resting potential b. the myelin and Nodes of Ranvier both slide along the axon from the start to its end, but the Nodes travel more slowly c. individual sodium ions move from the start of the axon to its end d. a spreading wave of depolarization goes from the start of an axon to its end

Answer 29

a spreading wave of depolarization goes from the start of an axon to its end

Question 30

Tetrodotoxin can paralyze someone because it a. inhibits the sodium/potassium pump b. blocks voltage-gated sodium channels involved in action potentials c. affects the somatic but not autonomic nervous system d. causes potassium channels to switch from the inactivated to closed state

Answer 30

blocks voltage-gated sodium channels involved in action potentials

Question 31

Voltage-gated sodium channels at the start of an axon are triggered to open by the membrane potential a. disappearing completely b. reaching exactly zero c. becoming more positive d. reaching -80 mV

Answer 31

becoming more positive

Question 32

Which of the following is a way in which the dendrites and axon of a neuron are similar? a. both are sometimes wrapped in myelin b. both involve transmission of electrical signals toward the cell body c. electrical signals are transmitted in an all-or-none fashion for both d. both can sometimes have their membrane potential go from -70 mV to -60 mV

Answer 32

both can sometimes have their membrane potential go from -70 mV to -60 mV

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT an important factor in determining whether binding of neurotransmitter to a post-synaptic receptor will make the post-synaptic cell fire an action potential? a. the timing of the transmitter release and whether neurotransmitter was released a short time previously b. how much of the neurotransmitter's precursor is present c. how close the post-synaptic receptor is to its cell's axon d. how MANY ions channels are opened in the post-synaptic membrane e. which KIND of ion channels are opened in the post-synaptic membrane

Answer 33

how much of the neurotransmitter's precursor is present

Question 34

IPSPs occurring in a neuron's dendrites a. are always the same size b. get larger as they travel c. involve a depolarization of the membrane potential d. are due to potassium ions entering the cell e. make it less likely that the neuron will fire an action potential

Answer 34

make it less likely that the neuron will fire an action potential

Question 35

At a certain moment in time a presynaptic cell starts to release fewer molecules of inhibitory neurotransmitter than normal. As a result a. the presynaptic cell will switch from being inhibitory to excitatory b. the postsynaptic neurotransmitter receptors will switch from being ionotropic to metabotropic c. the postsynaptic cell will be likely to decrease its firing rate d. the postsynaptic cell will be likely to increase its firing rate

Answer 35

the postsynaptic cell will be likely to increase its firing rate

Question 36

both dendrites and axons a. contain neurotransmitter receptors b. can be more than 2 feet long c. cannot have their membrane potential become more positive than zero d. have a resting membrane potential of -70 mV e. are covered in myelin

Answer 36

have a resting membrane potential of -70 mV

Question 37

Which of the following is shared by flies, rats, and humans? a. liking to eat saccharin b. liking to eat sugars c. liking to eat aspartame d. using the proteins T1R2 and T1R3 to detect sweeteners

Answer 37

liking to eat sugars

Question 38

Conducting an in vitro experiment offers a. large control over variables and high ability to predict therapeutic potential b. large control over variables and low ability to predict therapeutic potential c. little control over variables and high ability to predict therapeutic potential d. little control over variables and low ability to predict therapeutic potential

Answer 38

large control over variables and low ability to predict therapeutic potential

Question 39

Diffuser tensor imaging (DTI) technology is useful because it allows visualization of a. individual proteins within a cell b. action potentials c. dendrites d. axons

Answer 39

axons

Question 40

Which of the following methods is the most invasive? a. transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) b. EEG c. fMRI d. optogenetics

Answer 40

optogenetics

Question 41

PET scanning might be used instead of fMRI in order to a. distinguish fibers of passage from cell bodies b. determine the number of available dopamine receptors in a particular brain area c. provide higher spatial resolution d. determine whether neurons are firing in burst patterns

Answer 41

determine the number of available dopamine receptors in a particular brain area

Question 42

An experimenter is interested in determining whether or not neurons in the nucleus accumbens become more active when a heroin addict looks at pictures of syringes and other heroin-related paraphernalia. The best method to use would be a. TMS b. fMRI c. DTI d. CT

Answer 42

fMRI